Buck Ewing

Buck Ewing

Buck Ewing, who played from 1880 to 1897, was considered the best catcher in baseballhistory as late as the 1940s. Some called him the most versatile player of the 19th Century, since he played more than 200 games at catcher, first base, outfield, and third base. He won a home run title, and finished in the top ten in batting and slugging a combined 15 times. A quick catcher with a strong throwing arm, Ewing was switched to the outfield and other positions after 1890, mostly because he gained weight. Teammate Mickey Welch said of Ewing, "He used to sit up at night thinking about ways to upset and beat his rivals of the next day, like finding out about an opposing pitcher's love life. He originated the pre-game clubhouse meeting. He'd do anything to win."

Career Batting Stats

G

AB

H

R

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

SLG

OBP

OPS

OPS+

1315

5363

1625

1129

71

883

354

.303

.456

.351

.807

116.5

Teams Buck Ewing Managed

New York Giants, Players League (1890)Cincinnati Reds (1895-1899)New York Giants (1900)

Buck Ewing Teammates

Best Season: 1893Ewing played the outfield in 1893 for the Cleveland Spiders. He hit .344 with 117 runs scored, 122 RBI, 28 doubles and 15 triples.

FactoidsBuck Ewing is credited with laying out the design of New York's Polo Grounds.

DescriptionEwing's throwing exploits were legendary. One of his favorite tricks was to peg runners off base after he allowed a ball to squirt away from him on purpose. Ewing would pretend to fumble a ball, allowing it to trickle a few inches from his glove, and sometimes even pretend to lose sight of it, then he would wait for the runner to break from the bag and peg him with a perfect throw.

The nickname "Buck" reportedly was given to William Ewing when he was a teenager after a hunting conquest. He was also affectionately known as "Bread and Butter," in honor of his value in clutch situations.

Family TreeHis brother, John Ewing, was a pitcher who won 53 games from 1888-1891. John died at the age of 31 in 1895, from consumption or diabetes, depending on which source you believe.

Similar PlayersWhen he was active, Ewing was compared to Charley Bennett, the star catcher for Detroit in the 1880s. After a few seasons, Ewing surpassed Bennett as the finest catcher of the era.

Related PlayersIn 2000, Rockies' catcher Brent Mayne took to the mound for Colorado after his team had sent nine pitchers to the mound in 11 innings. Mayne went on to get the win for the Rockies, and became the first catcher to get a win a major league game since Ewing, in 1889.

Hall of Fame Voting

Year

Election

Votes

Pct

1936

Veterans

40

%

1939

BBWAA

2

.7%

1939

Old Timers

%

Post-Season Appearances 1888 World Series 1889 World Series

NotesIn 1906, Ewing died at the age of 47, from Bright's Disease, which he had battled for three years.

Replaced ByIn 1897, Jake Beckley moved into the first base slot where Ewing had been the previous season. Beckley had been acquired from Ewing's old team the New York Giants.